The Captain and the Damsel
by SheeWolf85
Summary: Bits and pieces from Captain Tantrum from the brothers' points of view, and possibly other stuff that just doesn't fit in that story anywhere. Read CT first. Rated M for language for now, not sure if this will ever contain smut. Possibly. I will put a warning within the chapters if that does happen.
1. The Captain and the Damsel

A/N: Hey there! So this is going to be a place where I put bits and pieces of Captain Tantrum from the brothers' points of view. I don't plan on writing the whole thing from their POV, and most chapters won't be nearly this long, but I did feel that their first meeting and such was important. And Papyrus just kept freaking talking. That boy don't shut up.

You will want to read Captain Tantrum first, as these chapters are likely to skip chunks of time and would probably be confusing if you tried to read as its own story.

If you would like to see anything particular from the brothers' POV, please let me know! You can tell me in a review or submit an ask on my tumblr. sheewolf85 . tumblr . com. I accept anonymous asks if you're shy.

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The Captain and the Damsel

PAPYRUS

Papyrus couldn't remember the last time he'd been this excited for anything. Maybe when the barrier broke, but that had been laced with a fearful nervousness that kept from really enjoying the exhilaration of finally being free. The only thing that came close was when he was appointed Captain of the Royal Guard. Even then, however, he had dreaded the violence that he knew would haunt him his entire life.

Now, however…now, he was preparing for the festival to celebrate two years on the surface. Yes, there was still some trepidation when it came to dealing with humans, but life on the surface had so far proven to be better than any monster had any right to hope for.

He was proud to serve as initial security for the festival. He dressed in his old uniform, reminiscing on the good times when he'd bond over sparring with Major Undyne or teach children how to defend themselves from monsters seeking quick and easy LV. He'd be there for his fellow monsters again this time, keeping unwanted scum from ruining their happiness.

Once he was ready, he went to check on Sans. He was sitting on the couch in his usual outfit, scrolling through whatever app was open on his phone and chuckling quietly.

"WHY THE HELL ARE YOU NOT READY TO GO?" he said with a little more gusto than was really needed. Seeing Sans startle put a smile on his face.

"i am ready, boss." He gestured to his outfit. "i got dressed 'n everything."

Papyrus sighed, but he didn't argue. He knew better than that by now. Although he'd hoped Sans would put some actual effort into his appearance for once, he couldn't argue that getting dressed was a step in the right direction.

"I'M READY AS WELL, SO LET'S GO."

Sans tilted his head back, looking up at Papyrus. "festival don't start for like two hours, bro."

"I'M HEAD OF SECURITY AND YOU'RE GOING TO SELL THE TICKETS. WE NEED TO BE THERE EARLY TO SET UP. GET OFF YOUR ASS AND LET'S GO." He crossed his arms, showing Sans that he was serious about this.

Sans sighed heavily and managed to drag his butt off the couch. "fine. we takin' yer car or a shortcut?" He held out his hand, wiggling his fingers with a devious grin on his face.

Papyrus shuddered. "MY CAR, OF COURSE. I DON'T FEEL LIKE VOMITING ON MY UNIFORM TODAY."

Once again, Sans sighed.

A few hours later, they began letting people in the front gates. A group of protestors had been barricaded off to one side, and their shouts could be heard from where Papyrus was standing. He got a good look at the monsters coming up, and none of them looked very confident until they saw him. He could pinpoint the very moment they realized that he and the dogs were there for their safety. Every time, he felt a sense of pride flow through him.

A few humans showed up as well. He had been told to expect it, but he honestly believed that Frisk would be the only human in attendance. The first one, a tall black male holding a tiny child, looked truly petrified for a moment. The child, on the other hand, gleefully pet both dogs and giggled when Papyrus tickled her leg. Her laughter and the way the monsters reacted to his child seemed to calm the human, and he moved on. Fifteen humans showed up in total, each one too scared to even look him in the eye.

Except one. She flounced up to the gate with a bounce in her step and only stopped short when the dogs growled at her. They'd growled at every human that didn't have a child with them.

"AT EASE," he said. She looked up at him with wide eyes, but they weren't scared. There was a hint of recognition in her face. "ARE YOU HERE FOR THE FESTIVAL, HUMAN?"

She looked up at him and swallowed. He knew fear when he saw it. He could smell it on humans even better than he could on monsters. She didn't smell of fear. There was something else in her face that confused him. He crossed his arms, waiting for her answer.

"Y-yes, I am," she finally stuttered.

He looked her over for a moment, trying to detect any lies she might be telling. Why wasn't she scared? What was in her bag? He almost wanted to search her just to see if she was planning something, but he knew from experience that anyone planning something wouldn't be so calm. He spied the top of a water bottle in her bag and decided she had just come prepared for a day spent in the hot sun.

Finally, he nodded and stepped aside. She moved closer, but she continued to stare him down. He wasn't sure what the hell she was doing, but he figured it had to be some kind of rude human thing. Just as he was about to tell her to move the fuck along, she sucked in a quick breath and walked away to Sans' ticket booth.

Just as Papyrus had hoped, the festival proved to be a huge success. Monsters he hadn't seen since they moved far away came back to be a part of it. His brother was able to switch jobs around to cater to his restless need for something occupy his mind. Soon enough, they were closing the gates to allow everyone—security included—to take part in the fireworks.

This was the part Papyrus had been looking forward to. He'd heard of fireworks and seen them a few times in movies, but he'd never had the opportunity to see them in real life. Many monsters were the same, and everyone was excited for the spectacle. He wanted to be as close as he could get so he didn't miss a single thing.

He met up with Sans, and an uneasiness that had built up in his soul from not being able to visibly verify he was okay faded into bliss once more.

Sans tried to convince him to sit near the back for whatever reason, but Papyrus was having none of that.

"I'D LIKE A SPOT NEAR THE FRONT, SANS!" They'd talked about this. He needed to be close!

"you'll get a better view back a little ways."

Papyrus stifled a groan. He'd heard this argument far too many times and he was adamant. "I DON'T WANT TO BE BACK A LITTLE WAYS."

Sans chuckled. "you just wanna see mettaton."

"I DO NOT! THAT ROBOT DOES NOTHING FOR ME." Sans would never, ever let that shit go. Just because he'd had a crush on Mettaton when he was younger didn't mean he had anything other than friendly feelings toward the monster now.

"sure, boss."

Papyrus gripped Sans under the arms and lifted him up. "WE'RE SITTING UP FRONT, AND THAT IS FINAL."

Luckily, Sans didn't squirm too badly or teleport away. He would have had to have gotten stern with him if he'd done that. Instead, he picked his way through the growing crowd and smiled when he spotted a vacant area just big enough for the both of them. A human girl sat picking at the grass next to it, but Papyrus wouldn't be dissuaded so easily.

He let Sans drop when he reached the spot and sat down smoothly. Once down, he grabbed Sans to make sure he wouldn't get up and run at the first opportunity and pulled him onto his lap. Surprisingly, Sans cuddled into his arms and accepted the embrace.

Moments like this were rare. Being on the surface had allowed both Sans and Papyrus to feel more comfortable showing affection toward each other, but it was still hard to let old fears go. The fact that Sans was allowing him to hold him like this in a very public place told Papyrus just how relaxed he was, and that made his soul swell with happiness.

"take a picture, lady; it'll last longer."

He looked over to see who Sans was talking to and recognized the strange human from earlier. She blushed a bright red and mumbled an apology before looking away. She was doing a terrible job of ignoring them. He wondered just how dense she thought monsters were; it was painfully obvious that she was still trying to look.

Then, suddenly, she turned with her phone in hand and held it up.

"Say cheese!"

The flash went off, causing bright stars to shine in Papyrus' vision for a moment.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" he demanded. Humans and their godforsaken arrogance, thinking they can do whatever the fuck they want when they want.

But she looked at him with a shy smile. "He told me to." She gestured to Sans still in his lap. "Besides, it's a cute picture." She opened it and held it out.

Cute?! Nobody in their right mind would ever equate The Great and Terrible Papyrus, Captain of the Royal Guard, with fucking CUTE.

Sans erupted into a fit of laughter, probably committing this moment to memory for blackmail later, and kicked his feet against the ground. He deftly pushed Sans away, allowing him to roll onto the grass in front of him, and prepared to stand up if he needed to.

"THERE'S NOTHING CUTE ABOUT IT. I DEMAND YOU DELETE THAT IMAGE NOW." He wasn't above destroying personal property should this human girl think she was going to have something to hold over his head.

She scoffed and quickly put her phone away. "No way!" She looked at Sans for a moment, and Papyrus could swear she seemed to relax. Had she thought he hurt him? He glared, trying to figure out what in the fuck this girl was even doing here. He appreciated the fact that some humans were not only okay with monsters on the surface, but actually wanted to celebrate with them, but something about this woman was different from the other humans he'd met. He didn't like it.

She looked back at him, her eyes narrowed. "That was pretty shitty of you." She crossed her arms.

"MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS, HUMAN."

"My name isn't human!" She sounded irritated. It amused him.

"nah, it's sugar."

She glared at Sans. Papyrus stiffened, ready to stop her from touching him if needed. "No, it's not." She didn't even uncross her arms.

"I DON'T CARE WHAT YOUR NAME IS, AND NEITHER DOES SANS." A part of him wanted to get up and leave, move somewhere away from this damned human, but another part felt that he needed to stay close. She obviously meant no harm to anyone around her, but that didn't mean she knew to be gentle with Sans or others with low HP like him.

"Sans already knows what it is."

That caught his attention. She had already been talking to Sans before this? Had she been rude like this before? Had she attempted to touch him?

"HOW?" Papyrus demanded. He wouldn't hesitate to kick her off the fair grounds if she'd hurt his brother in any way.

She pointedly looked away from him. He only grew more adamant.

"I DEMAND THAT YOU TELL ME YOUR NAME."

"No." She turned to look at the stage, straightening her spine.

Now it was just a matter of pride. He was going to learn her name.

"SANS, TELL ME HER NAME."

Despite the glare the human threw at him, Sans divulged her name. Papyrus refused to admit it was pretty. It fit her.

"Sans! That look I just gave you meant 'no, don't tell him'."

"i know." Sans shrugged and laid back down. Papyrus smirked as he crossed one ankle over the other knee and folded his arms behind his head. "man, the stars are pretty tonight, aren't they?"

Papyrus managed a glance up at the sky. Even though the stars had never fascinated him as much as they had Sans, he couldn't deny that he was overwhelmingly thankful that his brother could enjoy moments like this.

"Yeah, but I'm more looking forward to the fireworks."

Of course she was. She hadn't spent the majority of her lifetime trapped under a mountain with no way to see the real thing that held her passion captivated. She hadn't spent her whole fucking life trying to escape a very literal hell, all the while staying positive enough to retain those passions.

"WHY ARE YOU EVEN HERE, Y/N?"

She stayed silent. He grunted, getting more pissed off by the second. What was she planning?

"I SHOULDN'T HAVE LET YOU IN. YOU'RE OBVIOUSLY HERE TO CAUSE TROUBLE."

She snorted. "Yeah, because I've caused _so much_ in the five hours I've been here."

He had to take a second to breathe and not snap at her. She had a point; she hadn't done anything worth reporting to security, and he knew without a scrap of doubt that anything even slightly devious on a human's part would be reported immediately. Still, her refusal to answer him just pissed him off.

"SANS, ASK HER WHY SHE'S HERE."

She turned around then, a spectacular fire in her eyes. "Because I'm celebrating the barrier breaking, okay? I'm happy to have monsters walking around with their freedom. Does that bother you?" Her eyes narrowed, challenging him.

Her boldness was both disquieting and comforting at the same time. She didn't seem to be afraid of him in the least. Did she not know who he was? She clearly didn't know anything about what had happened in the underground. Had she known how easily he had killed her kind, she might have been smart and shown at least a little trepidation.

And yet, her words struck him hard. She, a human girl, was happy to have monsters living on the surface with her? There was nothing but glaring honesty in her words. It was refreshing.

"NO, IT DOESN'T BOTHER ME."

"Good." She nodded once and turned back to the stage.

Papyrus watched her as Mettaton performed his practiced speech and presentation. He joined in the applause, and soon the fireworks were starting.

They were just as beautiful as he had imagined they would be. He glanced at Sans and smiled at the serenity on his face. He then looked at the human, and a sliver of confusion pierced his soul. She looked just as transfixed as Sans did. She had to have seen this kind of display before. She had no reason to look like this was her first time.

She looked down at Sans, and her mouth curved up in a smile. That was even more perplexing, Papyrus thought. The way she acted around monsters was so different from what he was used to. Humans gave monsters a wide berth and refused to believe that they had feelings and emotions that could be hurt. She looked truly satisfied by the wonder on Sans' face, as if she was happy to see him happy.

She turned and looked at him then, and instead of looking away immediately the way he'd thought she would, she kept eye contact. Her face reddened, darkening the little dots on her face in a way that looked entirely too pleasing for Papyrus' liking, but she still didn't look away.

He wanted to know more about her. When had she learned about monsters? Had she heard all the stories and legends about humans who had disappeared up on Mount Ebott, never to be seen again? Had she heard about the human souls that had been used to break the barrier?

"Take a picture," she said softly, the red on her cheeks darkening even further. "It'll last longer."

It took Papyrus a moment to realize she was quoting Sans from earlier. With a smirk, he reached into his uniform pocket and pulled out his phone. She didn't move as he suspected she would have when he held it up. In fact, she smiled as he took the picture. He wasn't sure yet if he was going to keep it, but it might be nice to have a reminder of the one human who wasn't afraid of him.

She turned back to the fireworks then, a soft sigh escaping her as she let herself become entranced by them again. He tried to focus on them as well, but it was difficult with her sitting right there. He found himself studying the slope of her nose and the way the bright colors danced off her skin.

A poke to his left knee brought his attention down to Sans. He raised his brow ridge, his eye lights daring to the human girl for a fraction of a second. Papyrus scowled and shook his head. No, he didn't think she was cute. She was a damn human! Sans shrugged against the grass as if to say he wasn't convinced.

Well, Sans could crush on whoever he wanted to crush on. Papyrus was better than that.

After the fireworks, the festival was over. Papyrus stood and was about to pick Sans up when the human stood and stretched. He blinked a moment, realizing too late that he'd been staring at her legs. She had long legs. She bent to pick up her bag and swayed, and Papyrus reacted on instinct as he reached out to catch her.

She caught herself before he could reach her. She turned around before he could move, and he immediately dropped his hands. She turned again, facing Sans.

"It was nice to meet you," she said sweetly. Luckily for her, she didn't try to shake his hand. He had to wonder if she'd already gotten shocked by his joy buzzer. The thought was amusing, and for once he was proud of his brother's antics.

"yeah, you too. hey, will you text me that picture?"

Oh, fuck no. Sans was not going to get his hands on that if Papyrus had anything to say about it.

"NO, SHE WILL NOT."

She was going to hurt herself with how hard she was ignoring him. He stifled a growl.

"Of course; what's your number?" She pulled out her phone and saved Sans' number.

Well. He wasn't The Great and Terrible Papyrus for nothing. He could be just as fucking annoying as she could be. He reached around her and grabbed the phone out of her hands. She shrieked and danced around adorably as she tried to get it back, but he used his height to his advantage and easily kept it away as he added his number.

He finally gave it back, proud of himself. She glared daggers at her phone as she checked it.

"What did you do?" she demanded.

"YOU WILL SEE."

She made her best attempt at a human growl—it was positively weak—and stared at him. "No, asshole, you'll tell me what you did right now."

Papyrus laughed. She actually thought she could intimidate him into telling her anything? Cute.

She shoved her phone in her pocket and took a step closer to him. "Look, I don't know who you think you are, but it's not nice to mess with people's shit like that."

Yeah, he figured she didn't know who he was. He decided to enlighten her. He leaned in a little closer and ignored the scent of her skin.

"I'M THE CAPTAIN OF THE ROYAL GUARD, AND I DON'T GIVE A SHIT WHAT'S NICE AND WHAT ISN'T. I JUST ADDED MY NUMBER, SO CALM THE FUCK DOWN."

She blinked and stepped back a half a step, several emotions crossing over her face before she sucked in a breath and adjusted her bag.

"What made you think I wanted your number?" Her voice wavered just a little and her eyes darted to the ground. Maybe she'd heard of him but didn't know what he looked like. He had thought the uniform would make it obvious, but humans had proved to be dumber than they looked on more than one occasion.

He couldn't think of a valid reason for what he'd done, and he sure as hell wasn't going to tell her that he only added it to be as annoying as possible, so he made up a lie.

"YOU HAVE MY BROTHER'S, SO OF COURSE YOU WANTED MINE."

She huffed, thinking about something before she smirked. "I'm not sure that makes sense, but I'm going home anyway." She turned to Sans, who was grinning at her. Papyrus was not thrilled to see that particular grin. In letting her get to him, he'd given Sans the perfect material to give him shit with later. Fucking hell.

"Goodbye, Sans."

"bye, sugar."

She walked away, and Papyrus had to remind himself twice not to watch her ass as she did so. Humans didn't have nice asses. Humans were gross.

"WE SHOULD BE GETTING HOME AS WELL," Papyrus said, not giving Sans a moment to use any of the ammunition he had unwittingly given him.

"you know you're not gettin' outta this, right?" Sans patted down his clothes like he actually cared if they were dirty or not from laying in the grass. "a little human girl got to ya."

Papyrus sighed and pinched his nasal ridge. "SHE WAS ANNOYING. JUST LIKE YOU; YOU'LL BE GREAT FRIENDS."

Sans' phone beeped, and he grinned widely when he checked it. "yer right about that. lookit." He held up the phone so Papyrus could see the message. She'd sent the picture along with the caption, 'cuteness overload.'

"FUCK MY ENTIRE LIFE." There was no way he was going to ever live this down.

Sans giggled and put his phone in his pocket. "anyway, i'm tired 'n i gotta work early. let's head home."

As they walked toward the fairgrounds entrance, Papyrus watched Sans. He knew, no matter how hard he fought it on the surface, deep down he was thankful that Sans had things like this that he could smile and laugh about. Even at his own expense, he preferred his brother happy. There were too many memories of nearly losing him to think for one second that he wished Sans would stop teasing him.

A sudden scream pierced through the air, catching everyone's attention. Sans and Papyrus both stopped and looked at each other. Sans' sockets were wide with concern, and he reached out without thinking to grab Papyrus' arm.

Teleporting never ended well for him. Thankfully, in moments of need, Papyrus could at least fake a little decency upon landing. He only stumbled a little before he could survey the scene.

The lady from earlier was stumbling backward, her left arm raised, as she tried to protect herself from another human. This one male, he stood with his arm raised to strike. She bumped into Papyrus and tried to turn around.

Papyrus pulled her away from her attacker, setting her behind him, and stood next to Sans.

"waddaya think, boss?"

This was familiar. This was what he was used to. As much as he hated Sans being in the same neighborhood as a violent human, fighting alongside him brought a proverbial comfort that was hard to dismiss.

"I THINK ONLY A COWARD WOULD TREAT ANOTHER PERSON WITH SUCH DISGRACE."

"i don't know 'bout you, but i ain't a fan'a cowards."

"COWARDICE BRINGS DEATH." In the underground, monsters couldn't afford to let others take advantage of them. Those that tried were too scared or damaged to live according to the law and were punished by Papyrus himself when caught.

A small hand on his arm caused Papyrus to stop.

"Wait, guys…don't kill him."

Sans chuckled, turning to the girl. He heard her gasp. "don't worry, sugar; we'll just rough 'im up a bit." He paused for a moment. "uh, boss?"

"WHAT?"

"dude broke 'er arm."

He had expected violence. He had expected the disgusting male human to threaten Sans' new friend and frighten her, but he hadn't thought it could be that bad. Stiffening with an ever-growing anger, he turned to look the girl over. She was only mildly disheveled, her hair partly coming out of her pony tail. Her arm was cradled to her chest, and the bulge against the skin of her upper arm told him that Sans was not mistaken.

He'd had enough violence to last him several lifetimes. He didn't want more. Nevertheless, he was a weapon crafted to protect those that needed it and to keep what little peace could be salvaged. He turned back to the unfortunate soul who had wandered into his jurisdiction.

"WHAT SHALL I BREAK OF YOURS?" He gripped the man's throat, his LV taunting him, begging him to kill. He could feel the need for it coursing through his bones. "YOUR NECK, PERHAPS?"

"Don't do that." Her voice was small yet pleading. It was just enough to bring him back from the brink.

Annoyed, he realized just how close he had been to murdering the boy. "FINE." He gripped his arm, twisted, and smiled sadistically at both the feel and the sound of his bone snapping. He screamed. Pathetic. "MAYBE NEXT TIME YOU'LL THINK BEFORE YOU ACT." He let the guy drop.

"boss, i think she needs a doctor."

"CAN'T YOU JUST HEAL HER?" He was too agitated to try it himself, and Sans' use of the magic was nearly as good as his own. He saw no need to step in.

"the break's too bad."

Of course it would be. On the surface, their magic wasn't as potent to humans as it had been for Frisk in the underground.

"WELL, FUCK." He looked around, hoping to find someone he could trust a human with for the time it would take to get her to a hospital. Some might try to tell him that she hadn't done anything to warrant his distrust, but the opposite was true as well. Until she earned his trust, she wouldn't get it.

He'd have to take care of this himself. She couldn't drive herself, and there was always the small chance that she could say a monster had hurt her if he just called an ambulance.

"ALL RIGHT, LET'S GO." He turned to the monsters that had gathered around. "TAKE CARE OF THIS MESS, WILL YOU?" He gestured to the human still laying on the ground, cradling his arm like he had any right to be sorry for himself.

He turned on his heel and began walking to his car. He heard Sans explain that she couldn't drive and her mumbled acceptance.

The drive was silent. Sans turned back to check on the human several times. He didn't care about anyone easily, and Papyrus had learned a thousand times over to trust his judgement when it came to people. If he was actually concerned about this human, Sans must have seen something good in her soul. The thought helped him to relax a little.

At the hospital, he wasn't surprised in the least to see humans left and right staring at him as though he were Death incarnate. He was used to those stares and fearful glances. It made him question yet again why this one human was different.

She slurred her answers as the nurses asked her questions about what had happened.

"Why is she incoherent? Was she drugged?"

For a half a second, Papyrus was afraid she was going to say yes, she was. Instead, she shook her head vehemently.

Sans rubbed the back of his cervical vertebrae. "uh, no, but i kinda gave 'er a little magic to take the pain away. i think i overdid it."

Fucking hell. "SANS, THAT'S DANGEROUS!" Not only could she use it against them, but Sans had no way of knowing how much was too much.

"i know, boss; i'm sorry."

"Were you two with her when this happened?" the nurse asked.

The girl nodded, and Sans confirmed it. Papyrus allowed himself to calm down again when the nurse began accepting Sans' answers.

Once taken back to a hospital bed, she was instructed to change into a gown from the waist up. She glanced at him and Sans, then down at her arm. Sans looked like he might have a stroke if she asked for help.

The Captain in him took charge, pushing Sans out of the room to do what needed to be done. She looked up at him sheepishly for a second as he tried to figure out the best way to help her.

"CALM DOWN, Y/N. I'VE SEEN WORSE IN BATTLE; YOUR WOUNDS ARE NOTHING TO ME."

He helped her undress, ignoring her naked body as he gingerly helped her slip her arms into the sleeves of the gown. She was still tense. As he closed the snaps in the back, he figured he should probably say something else to put her at ease a little more.

"I WAS ONE OF THE FEW ON THE BATTLEFIELD THAT COULD USE HEALING MAGIC. I HELPED MANY SOLDIERS, BOTH MEN AND WOMEN, WHEN THEY NEEDED ME. YOU HAVE NOTHING I HAVEN'T ALREADY SEEN."

She did relax marginally as he helped her lie back. He let Sans back in and watched curiously as he draped a blanket over her legs. He really did care about her. Odd.

The process to check her arm, set the bone, and cast it took longer than Papyrus had expected it to. He had never had any reason to pay much attention to how humans did their healing. She was told she'd need the cast for roughly three months and given instructions on how to care for it.

"What time is it?" she asked as they left the hospital.

Sans checked his phone. "three-fifty. and i gotta work in a few hours."

"I'm sorry."

Strange. "NONSENSE. YOU SHOULDN'T APOLOGIZE FOR THINGS THAT AREN'T YOUR FAULT."

"Well, maybe if I hadn't been stupid, this wouldn't have happened."

He shrugged. While that made sense, he still couldn't fathom apologizing for needing help. "PERHAPS; ALTHOUGH, I THINK THE FUCKER THAT HURT YOU WAS THE STUPID ONE. YOU WERE MERELY WALKING TO YOUR CAR."

He caught her smile. "How did you guys get to me so fast?"

"i can teleport. heard a scream and went after it."

Papyrus was going to have to speak with his brother when they got home. He knew better than to divulge sensitive information like that to a human. He trusted his brother's instincts, but that was taking it a little too far.

"Okay."

Her gentle acceptance surprised Papyrus. The first time Frisk had figured it out, they'd asked a hundred questions and asked to teleport with him a few times. Granted, they had been a child at the time, but Papyrus didn't see why any human would have a different response.

When they got back to the fairgrounds, she tried to argue that she could drive home. Sans was adamant that he was going to drive her home instead. The look he shot Papyrus told him that there was no negotiating this; he was taking her and there was nothing Papyrus could do to stop him. He conceded only because he didn't want to end this day by fighting with his brother.

"Thank you for everything today, Captain." She smiled up at him.

It must have been the drugs. There was no other reason for her to show him that sign of respect. He wasn't sure if he could accept it. "YOU'RE WELCOME, Y/N." He didn't have much of a choice.

"I'm not gonna call you Captain or Boss all the time; what's your real name."

Papyrus cleared his throat. "Papyrus."

She smiled again. "Alright. Thank you, Papyrus. I'll see you around?"

Stars, he hoped so. She was a puzzle he desperately needed to solve. "OF COURSE. I EXPECT YOU HOME IN AN HOUR, SANS."

"That might not happen. I, uh…kinda live two towns over." He could hear the wince in her voice. "It's gonna take us about an hour to get there. And I need to pick up this prescription." The wince became visible on her face.

Papyrus appreciated the heads up. "OKAY. AN HOUR AND A HALF."

Sans nodded. "sure thing, boss."

Papyrus got in the car then, part of his soul clenching at the idea of the human alone with Sans. He sucked in a deep breath as he drove away. He knew he needed to work on trusting his brother more, but this was almost pushing it.

Instead of dwelling on the negative possibilities, he instead thought about the strange human and the many different enigmas she had presented throughout the night.

Why was she unafraid of monsters, especially him? Even if she didn't know who he was, his appearance alone should have scared her. Why was she happy to be living with monsters on the surface? Even those other humans who had attended the festival had to have some hesitation when it came to monsters. Why didn't she?

* * *

sans.

Sugar sure was sweet. She'd fallen asleep less than halfway through the trip back to her home, her head lulled to the side and resting against the back of the seat.

He stopped at a twenty-four hour pharmacy to fill her prescription, not bothering to wake her. She didn't wake up until he pulled up to the house indicated by his GPS. He figured she'd tell him if it wasn't the right one.

He carried her bag in for her, a little relieved when her key opened the front door. At least she wasn't so out of it she couldn't recognize her own house.

"Thank you for everything, Sans. I really mean it."

He smiled at her. "anytime, sugar. and, hey, will you do me a favor?" He'd been watching her almost all day. When she first walked up to his ticket stand, out of breath and flushed such a pretty shade of red, he'd checked her soul as he'd done with every other human who had walked by him.

What he'd seen surprised him.

Being a judge let him see more than just a simple check. He saw her stats as usual, but he also saw things that had impacted her soul, whether positive or negative. She'd fought for monster rights from the get-go, never backing down from anyone who opposed them. She'd lost friends—people she had truly loved and cared for—because they chose to stand on the opposite side of the protest line. And he saw Boss.

Why his brother had impacted her soul was a mystery to him, but it was very clear that she had made an impression on Boss, too.

"Sure, what is it?"

"will you call boss sometime tomorrow?"

Her brow furrowed. It was cute. "Okay, but why? And why do you call him Boss?"

"call him because he could use it. and that's a story for another time. catch ya later." He winked before teleporting home.

Boss was on the couch, sitting stiffly as he tried to pretend he was focusing on a puzzle book. Sans noticed the way he relaxed when he heard the 'pop' of his magic. He looked up and set the book down on the table.

"WHY DID YOU TELL HER ABOUT YOUR TELEPORTATION?"

Nothing like getting right to the point. Sans just shrugged. "i dunno. maybe i was tired."

Papyrus glared. "THIS ISN'T THE TIME FOR YOUR SARCASM."

"ain't sarcasm. i really am tired, and i really do gotta work in about two hours. we gonna have a soul to soul, or can i take a nap?"

"FINE, BUT WE WILL TALK ABOUT THIS."

"you know i checked 'er soul, right?"

"YES, I KNOW THAT. WHAT DID YOU SEE, BY THE WAY?"

No way in hell was he going to tell his brother. Papyrus would freak the fuck out. He decided to dance around the truth just enough to be convincing. "she's a protector. got a yellow soul with enough red and green to look like she got puked up by a christmas tree. a real genuine person with not a hint of malice anywhere in 'er."

Papyrus hummed. "WHAT ELSE?"

Fuck. "what else you wanna know? she forgot to call her mom on mother's day one year."

He waved his hand. "NO, THAT'S ENOUGH. GET SOME REST."

"sure thing, boss." He smiled, proud of himself for how he'd handled that.


	2. A Not-Date Kind of Date

A/N: Papyrus' POV of the texts from the end of CH5 and pretty much the whole of CH6. Enjoy!

* * *

A Not-Date Kind of Date

PAPYRUS

Getting to know the human had been strange. At first, he wanted to believe that the only reason he felt any need to see her was because he needed to make sure his brother was safe.

Looking back on it, he wasn't sure how he'd managed to twist his own thoughts that way, but somehow, they'd made sense at the time. He had even managed to twist Sans' actions to fit the narrative he'd created, telling himself that Sans was pushing just a little too hard to get him and the human together to prove that she was a good person.

He'd been so fucking blind.

He would like to say that he'd figured it out the first time she'd come over to spend time with him without Sans there. He'd be lying. The only thing he'd actually managed to figure out at that point was that she liked his cooking. Not a huge epiphany; he was a master chef by most human standards.

His own actions had left him confused and frustrated for months. She would come over and he would trip over himself trying to talk to her. He would make up every goddamn excuse there was to make up just to touch her skin or stand close enough to her to feel her hair when she'd turn her head. He'd instantly deny any thought that crept up about her beauty to the point that he literally told himself that he only thought of her as cute because she was small and weak.

She might be small, but there was nothing weak about her. She'd get in his face and demand the kind of respect he only showed those that earned it. Had she earned it? He didn't even know. She must have at some point, because he caught himself thinking that he actually liked that fire about her.

That was his breaking point. The moment he admitted that he genuinely liked anything about her, the rest flooded in and caught him so off-guard he'd ranted about it for two straight hours to a flustered Sans who looked like he'd rather be eating asphalt than listening to his brother talk about how goddamn beautiful his human friend was.

To his credit, Sans never told him to shut up.

"pay attention next time ya see 'er, boss," Sans had said. "maybe yer just gettin' sick."

He clearly hadn't meant it. It was so painfully obvious that he hadn't meant it, but somehow Papyrus had managed to take his words to heart.

"HOW ISN'T SHE AFRAID OF ME?" he had asked, desperate to know the answer. "I'VE KILLED HUMANS BEFORE, AND SHE KNOWS THAT. SHE STILL ACTS LIKE SHE WANTS TO BE AROUND ME. I KNOW SHE DOESN'T KNOW ABOUT MY LV, BUT THE MOMENT SHE FINDS OUT SHE'S GOING TO BE TERRIFIED."

Sans shrugged. "give'r a little credit, boss. she ain't run from ya yet, and you've been an asshole lately."

"I'M ALWAYS AN ASSHOLE."

"true, but she's got ya more worked up than usual. just…y'know…maybe try bein' nice to her for once? see how she takes it?"

He'd tried, and her reaction had startled him. She'd smiled so brightly and blushed in the way he loved (no, he didn't love anything about her), and he'd ended up pacing the living room dissecting every single interaction they'd had with Sans once again his unwilling audience.

"YOU CAN'T TELL HER A SINGLE THING, SANS. YOU CANNOT BREATHE A WORD OF THIS TO HER, DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?"

Sans chuckled. "what am i gonna say? 'hey, so my brother thinks yer some kinda goddess or somethin', maybe you wanna go fuck 'im?'"

Dear sweet Angel above…he'd never considered her in any kind of sexual manner before, but now that Sans mentioned it…

He scrubbed his hands over his face and whined. "WHY DOES SHE HAVE SUCH A NICE ASS?"

Sans gagged. "she don't."

"FUCK OFF."

"i think you just need to get laid. hey, i could talk to 'er 'bout that and –"

Papyrus stood up straight and glared at his brother. "IF YOU SAY ANYTHING TO HER ABOUT THIS, I WILL PERSONALLY MAKE SURE YOUR PERMANENT HP GOES BACK TO ONE."

It was an empty threat if there ever was one, but Sans seemed to at least get the hint.

"i ain't gonna say nothin, fuck. why you so uptight about this anyway? it ain't like she's gonna get pissy—"

"HAVE YOU JUST NOT BEEN HERE THE LAST FEW MONTHS, SANS? SHE VERY LIKELY WILL GET PISSY, AND SHE WILL SPEAK UP ABOUT IT. SHE'LL…I DON'T KNOW…YELL AT ME."

Sans snorted. "you scared'a her?"

"NO, I AM NOT AFRAID OF HER, YOU IDIOT. HOWEVER, I AM NOT IN A HURRY TO DRIVE HER AWAY BECAUSE OF HOW I FEEL. SHE'S BEEN A GOOD FRIEND TO YOU."

"aight. I won't say nothin' to her. unless she brings up somethin' about how she likes you."

Papyrus nearly choked on his own magic. He took a second to breathe before he responded. "CONSIDERING THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF SUCH A SCENARIO, I AGREE WITH YOUR TERMS."

He really shouldn't have done that.

* * *

 _ **Damsel:**_ _Whatcha doin?_

He looked at the message for a second before he responded.

 _ **Papyrus:**_ _Aren't you hanging out with my brother tonight?_

If Sans wasn't with her, then where was he? Was he okay? He hadn't mentioned going anywhere else. He had almost put his puzzle book down when there was a pop of magic and Sans appeared in the living room. Papyrus immediately calmed down.

"heya. goin' to bed. fuckin' tired."

Papyrus waved, already distracted by typing back to his crush.

 _ **Papyrus:**_ _Oh, never mind. He just got home. I'm solving puzzles._

 _ **Damsel:**_ _I hang out with your brother a lot, but I've never really had a chance to get to know you one on one. We should do lunch sometime._

He stared at the message for a long moment before he could convince himself to breathe again. There was absolutely no reason in the world why she would want to get to know him better. She didn't even really like him. At least, not past the point of him being her friend's brother.

He stood up, ignoring his book as it fell to the floor, and made his way upstairs. Still holding his phone out, he knocked on Sans' door.

He wanted to accept her offer. He really did. But something held him back; why would she even ask him?

"sup?"

"WILL YOU OPEN YOUR DOOR? I WILL FORCE MY WAY IN IF I HAVE TO."

Sans groaned before opening the door. He didn't bother standing around; he went back and plopped down on his bed and let Papyrus decide if he was just going to stand there or do something else. He chose to sit on the mattress beside his brother.

"TELL ME WHAT SHE MEANS BY THIS." He held out the phone.

Sans snickered. "damn, she's fast."

Yeah, that wasn't suspicious at all.

"WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?"

Sans sucked in a breath and shifted to get comfortable before he looked over. Papyrus knew that look. Something had happened. He waited impatiently, growing more fidgety by the moment.

"so, remember when i said i wouldn't say nothin' to 'er 'bout how you feel unless she said she likes you first?"

Papyrus narrowed his eye sockets. "GET TO THE POINT."

"she likes you."

"BULLSHIT."

"heh. figured you'd say somethin' like that." He sat up, scooting over to put his back against the wall, and crossed his legs. "i ain't lyin' to ya. you know how much i love a good joke, but this would be a really shitty joke. she likes you."

Papyrus took a long moment to look over his brother, trying to pick out his lies. He wished in that moment that he could be a judge so he could tell if Sans was being truthful. He noticed his brother's wince and decided that his wish was probably not the best one to make right now.

"HOW DID IT COME UP?"

"she got all pensive like she was nervous about somethin' and got all red. i actually thought for a sec she was gonna say she liked me from how jumpy she was, but no. she said, and i quote: 'i have developed a huge crush…on your brother.' then i told her you like her too. she didn't seem to sure 'bout believin' me for a minute, but then she asked all kinds'a questions. we talked for a while about it. her likin' you, i mean."

"DID SHE SAY WHY?" He found himself desperate for the answer. He needed to know why the human would even consider him.

Sans chuckled for a second. "yeah, she did. she tried to tell me i couldn't tell ya why she likes you unless i told 'er why you like her. so i did."

"WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU DO THAT, SANS?" If she knew why he liked her, then she would…well, if she was going to run away, she sure as fuck wouldn't ask him to go to lunch right after talking to his brother. Maybe this wasn't a bad thing.

"i can't keep your secrets and spill all'a hers. she knows that, and she used it to her advantage. i told her so i could tell you why she likes you."

"OKAY, SO WHY DOES SHE?"

"cuz yer a good person. she didn't say it like that, but ya are. here's what she said, okay? you're cute, she feels safe around ya, yer a good brother, yer passionate, and she wants ta know what it'd be like to be on the receivin' end'a that passion."

It wasn't hard to tell Sans wasn't all that comfortable saying these things, but he got through it without a single tease.

"WHY DOES SHE FEEL SAFE AROUND ME?"

Sans shrugged. "dunno. she didn't say why, just that she does."

They were both quiet for a few minutes as Papyrus processed this new information. His soul pulsed with excitement and nervousness at the same time, and he couldn't wait to see her again.

"you gonna send somethin' back to 'er, or are you just gonna sit on my bed thinkin' about her all night?"

The smirk in Sans' voice was evident. Papyrus sighed.

"SHE WANTS TO GO TO LUNCH WITH ME. SHOULD I ACCEPT? SHOULD I INVITE HER HERE TOMORROW?"

"she's workin' tomorrow. how 'bout you make plans with _her_ instead'a trying to go through me. i don't know what she's got goin' on."

He supposed that made sense. He nodded and stood up.

"THANK YOU, SANS."

"eh, what's a big bro for, right?" He shifted to lay back down.

He smirked, and instead of leaving, he let himself fall back on the bed and wrapped his arms around Sans. Immediately, Sans started struggling to get away, but Papyrus was having none of that. He nuzzled Sans' shoulder and hugged tighter. He didn't stop until Sans pushed away just enough to teleport without taking Papyrus with him.

Chuckling to himself, he got up and went back to his room. He took several minutes to breathe before he started typing a message back.

 _ **Papyrus:**_ _I would love to._

No. He can't send anything with the word 'love.' He tried again.

 _ **Papyrus:**_ _That would be great! When should we—_

Can't show too much enthusiasm. He can't let her know that Sans told him anything. Not yet.

 _ **Papyrus:**_ _I suppose I could do that._

Gah! Making it sound like that was the last thing he wanted to do was a bad idea, too. What would he say if he didn't know what this was about? How would the responsible Captain in him word his approval of her offer?

With another deep breath, he typed again.

 _ **Papyrus:**_ _That would be acceptable. When are you free?_

Good. That was good. Not too enthusiastic, but not disinterested either. He hit send.

 _ **Damsel:**_ _I work this weekend, but I'm free on Monday. I also have next Saturday off._

Yeah, he wasn't waiting a whole fucking week to see her.

 _ **Papyrus:**_ _We could meet on my lunch break on Monday. You would need to come out this way._

For the first time in his life, he wished he could teleport like his brother. She wouldn't want to drive all the way out for a simple lunch meeting. He'd have to wait.

 _ **Damsel:**_ _I'm fine with that. What's a good place out that way? Also, what time?_

Holy fuck. Okay.

What was good around here? He took a deep breath and put his phone down long enough to calm his nerves and think clearly. The coffee shop he frequented was a nice place. Not nice enough for a date—this wasn't a date, though. Not yet.

 _ **Papyrus:**_ _There's a coffee shop near my place of work that has excellent panini. My lunch break is from noon to one._

 _ **Damsel:**_ _Send me the address and I'll meet you there at noon on Monday._

Reminding himself yet again to breathe, he typed the address and hit send. After a moment to let it sink in that he was actually going to meet up with his Damsel and potentially talk about the possibility of a relationship, he got up and went to find Sans.

He was in the living room, lounging on the couch and playing on his phone.

"tell me you ain't still thinkin' about what yer gonna say to her?" Sans looked up, a pained expression on his face.

Papyrus grinned. "OF COURSE NOT! THE GREAT AND TERRIBLE PAPYRUS IS FAR BETTER THAN THAT. WE'RE GOING TO MEET ON MONDAY AT THE COFFEE SHOP NEAR THE EMBASSY."

Before he could say anything else, his phone beeped again.

 _ **Damsel:**_ _I look forward to Monday. Goodnight, Papyrus._

"dude, yer face is gonna straight up break in half if you smile any bigger. calm down, yeah?"

Sans' own smile told him he was joking.

"SHE'S LOOKING FORWARD TO OUR MEETING." He held out the phone so Sans could see the text. "WHAT DO I SAY? I AM AS WELL? I MEAN, I AM, BUT…" He trailed off, already typing back as he wandered back to his room. He'd make sure to thank Sans in a way he could accept later.

* * *

He was going to be late.

No, no he wasn't. Just breathe. He had plenty of time! It was only noon, for crying out loud.

But she was expecting to meet him there at noon. She was probably already there, wondering where the fuck he was.

She knew his lunch break was from noon to one. Any rational person would understand that a lunch break starting at noon would mean he'd have to save his work, clock out, walk out to his car, drive—

She was going to leave if he wasn't there soon. She'd get tired of waiting for his sorry coccyx and just leave.

Papyrus sat in his car and forced himself to take a deep breath. Nobody—save for Sans—was worthy of this kind of anxiety. Nobody put Captain Papyrus in such a state. He was better than this. If she chose to leave because he had—

She wasn't going to leave.

He didn't relax until he pulled into the parking lot and saw her car there. He parked, took several deep breaths, and forced himself to get out. Almost as soon as he walked in, he spotted her sitting in the far corner. Did she somehow know that was his favorite spot? He could survey the whole shop from that spot, keeping an eye on the humans and monsters alike. He could sit with his back to a wall and not have to worry about the anxiety that always came up when he had to sit with an open area to his back instead.

She waved, a pretty smile on her face, and he waved back. He didn't allow himself to frown when he noticed she already had her food and coffee. How long had she been here?

It didn't matter. She was still here, so she clearly still wanted to see him.

After he placed his own order—coffee, black, with a sprinkle of cinnamon and just a drop of cream, and a chicken pesto panini—he made his way to the table she was at. He sat next to her, both because he wanted to be as close as possible and because it was the only way he could still have his back to a wall.

"YOU WERE HERE EARLY?" He tried not to sound anxious.

She nodded, a cute blush gracing her cheeks. "Yeah, I wanted to make sure I gave myself time to find the place. I haven't been here long, though, and I knew you wouldn't be here until after noon.

See? Absolutely no reason to fret. She was a reasonable person, after all. He nodded and took a drink. He noticed her watching him.

"Um, you look nice."

He had to refrain from reminding her that he knew that already. Sans had made a point to tell him to be a little more accepting of her compliments. Apparently, it annoyed her when he told her he already knew these things.

So instead, he tried a different tactic. "THANK YOU. SO DO YOU."

She did look nice, but the dress she was wearing was an odd choice. Maybe she didn't know that monster children wore stripes. He had noticed adult humans wearing stripes on multiple occasions, so they clearly didn't care about differentiating their children that way. It was still strange, sitting next to his crush like this while she was in children's clothing.

Her blush was quite nice, however. "Oh, um…thanks."

He didn't say anything about it. Instead, he focused on his panini before it could get cold. She did the same. He could watch her all day and never get bored of it. Her movements were captivating, her skin fascinating, and her hair and facial features beautiful.

A while later, she cleared her throat. "So, um…I don't think I've ever asked you what you do."

It was possible she was nervous and just trying to build up a conversation before tackling their real reason for meeting today. He could respect that. It wasn't like he'd taken any giant leaps in the conversation department yet, either.

"I WORK FOR THE KING AT THE MONSTER EMBASSY. IT'S MOSTLY PAPERWORK AND HANDLING SQUABBLES HERE AND THERE."

Her whole face lit up. "Cool. Do you like it?"

"YES."

She was silent for a second before she added, "What's your favorite part about it?" She actually seemed interested, but this wasn't why they were meeting.

"DO YOU REALLY WANT TO TALK ABOUT MY EMPLOYMENT?"

She shrugged. "We don't have to, but I wasn't lying when I said I wanted to get to know you one on one."

There was no denying how much he liked her words. He felt his cheekbones heating up and tried to stifle that before it got too obvious.

"MY FAVORITE PART ABOUT IT IS BEING ABLE TO MAKE SURE THAT MONSTERS ARE BEING TREATED FAIRLY. SOME HUMANS WANT TO PRETEND THAT WE DON'T HAVE THE RIGHTS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN ESTABLISHED, AND I GET TO BE PART OF THE TEAM THAT PROVES THEM WRONG. IT'S NICE TO BE ABLE TO PROTECT MY FELLOW KIND WITHOUT VIOLENCE."

Her answering smile nearly blinded him. What he wouldn't do to see that smile on her face all the fucking time. It was soul-achingly beautiful.

"I think that's really cool. You care a lot about monsters, and I admire that about you."

Could she get any more perfect? She wasn't afraid of him, and she admired him? He had no idea what to say to that.

"I…OF COURSE I CARE ABOUT MONSTERS…" He looked down, too nervous at this point to say anything else. How in the fuck did this little human do this to him?

"So did Sans talk to you about our conversation Friday night?"

She sounded slightly nervous as well. Her fingers fidgeted on her cup. He nodded, forcing himself to say the words he'd practiced more times than he cared to remember the night before.

"YES, AND I HAVE SOMETHING I NEED TO SAY ABOUT THAT."

Her face became serious, and she nodded.

"Y/N, SANS SAID THAT HE TOLD YOU WHAT I LIKE ABOUT YOU. I DON'T FEEL THE NEED TO REPEAT IT IF HE ALREADY TOLD YOU. INSTEAD, I'D LIKE TO KNOW YOUR OPINION ABOUT GOING OUT WITH ME."

With the words out, he could only stare at her and wait for her answer.

"My opinion is that I would very much like to."

Her blush darkened, and he was pretty sure his had as well. At least they were on the same page now. He slowly reached out a hand, placing it palm up on the table in a silent invitation. He couldn't even count how many times he had wanted to hold her hand, kiss the back of it, and pretend that someday she could be his girlfriend.

She didn't seem to hesitate much before she put her hand in his. He held softly and lifted, very gently kissing the back of it. She didn't seem the slightest bit nervous that he might hurt her as she squeezed his fingers, and for that he was grateful. He would never hurt her.

"MY LUNCH BREAK IS NEARLY OVER. YOU SAID YOU HAVE THIS SATURDAY OFF FROM WORK?" It was perfect. She nodded. "I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE YOU TO A SHOW AND TO DINNER."

"Do you mean to a movie?"

"NO, I MEAN TO A LIVE SHOW. A FRIEND OF MINE IS PERFORMING IN A PLAY." Mettaton had begged him to come see him perform, and Papyrus had said he'd do his best. Not only would he be able to be there to support his friend, but he'd be able to do it with a date!

"That sounds really nice."

He couldn't help but smirk. "OF COURSE IT DOES. I HAVE EXCELLENT IDEAS."

Thankfully she snorted and smiled, understanding his response was a joke. "All right, Captain. I don't want you to be late back to work."

Her concern was sweet. "COME OUT TO MY HOME AT FIVE O'CLOCK ON SATURDAY AND WE'LL GO TO DINNER FROM THERE, THEN TO THE PLAY." He kissed the back of her hand again just because he could.

"It's a date."

"YES IT IS. OH, AND PLEASE DO NOT WEAR STRIPES." He looked her over again, wishing he could appreciate her form. The stripes made it difficult.

"Um…okay? Why?"

"MONSTER CHILDREN WEAR STRIPES UNTIL THEY'RE OLD ENOUGH TO BE CONSIDERED ADULTS. IT WOULD BE…UNCOMFORTABLE IF YOU WERE DRESSED AS A CHILD."

She nodded but didn't comment.

They got up and threw everything away. On a whim, Papyrus picked up her coat and helped her into it. Her smile was breathtaking once again. He put a hand on her back and walked with her out to her car.

"PLEASE DRIVE SAFELY. AND LET ME KNOW WHEN YOU GET HOME."

She looked up at him once they reached her car. "I will. I have to go to the store on the way home, so don't freak out if it takes me a while."

Her consideration with giving him heads up like this was refreshing. She seemed to understand that he very likely would freak out if he didn't hear from her within the expected time frame it would take her to get home. He simply nodded and watched her face. A part of him wanted to kiss her, but it seemed too soon. Instead, he reached out and gently touched her cheek, reddened from the cold.

"I LOOK FORWARD TO SATURDAY."

She surprised him then, lunging forward and throwing her arms around him. He hugged her back, entirely too thrilled to have this opportunity.

"I do, too." Her voice was muffled by his clothing.

He had to force himself to leave. He had important work waiting for him, and he'd see her again in less than five days.


End file.
